The End
by TheAlchemist'sDaughter
Summary: A comet is about to hit the Earth completely destroying it. The scattered Titans regroup at the Tower to spend their last hours together. RobStar, BBRae
1. The Comet

Chapter 1

"We interrupt this broadcast for an emergency announcement from the president."

Robin looked up from the table where he had been working as a live feed from the oval office filled the screen. The man he knew to be the President of the United States sat behind a desk, facing the camera and looking very serious. "My fellow Americans, it pains me to inform you that at 9 am today," Robin checked his watch, 10 am. " I received word that a comet the size of Africa is on a collision course with the Earth. It is estimated that it will hit in 20 hours from now, at 6 am tomorrow. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to stop it. The comet will collide with the Earth, and destroy it completely." Different thoughts and emotions raced through Robin. Fear, regret, despair were the dominant ones, but he also felt a blind hope. Something like this _couldn't_ happen. This was a dream, surely! He knew it wasn't and he hated himself for being so weak. This led to anger, anger directed at the president. _Can't do anything!_ This man was supposed to protect the people, and he _can't do anything!_ The president continued, "The only advice I can give you is stay calm, and spend your last hours with your loved ones, as I intend to do. May god have mercy on us all." The broadcast ended and the program he had been half watching returned. _Spend your last hours with your loved ones…_Robin's loved ones, his friends, were gone. He didn't even know where they all were. He knew Cyborg was head of Hotwire Technicals, a company that designed and built weapons for the military, Beastboy had become a vet, Raven a lawyer, but Starfire, she had left to travel the world, but by now she had returned to Tamaran for sure. _Starfire…_Robin was comforted by the thought that she was happy, maybe even a queen, and would not be on Earth when that comet hits. Robin stood up and typed some commands into the computer. A map of space sprung up onto the screen. There was Earth, and the Sun, and there was the comet. The president was right, it was huge, easily the size of Africa. It jerked forward an inch as it came closer still. Robin stood staring at it, and he jumped as the shrill ring of the phone cut through the silence. He answered it,

"Hello?"

"Hey buddy, good to hear you again." The voice sounded cheerful, but there was a heavy, underlining worry.

"Cyborg?" said Robin.

"Yeah, have you heard the news?" he asked.

"Yeah, I have. Hard to take in isn't it?"

"It certainly is. Listen, er, can I come over? It would be nice to see you all again, before, you know, the world ends."

"Sure" said Robin, excited about seeing his old team-mate again. "But it would be only me. The others have all gone their separate ways." he said, sadly.

"Don't be so sure, I just got a call from my attorney, Miss Roth says she will accompany me."

"Raven? Cool, how long will it take you to get here?" asked Robin. It was easier to think about the prospect of being reunited with his best friends than the end of all life. They were more than just people, they were the best time of his life.

"I have an army grade private helicopter at my disposal. See you in half an hour." Robin laughed, and they hung up. The phone was down for a second, before it rang again.

"Hello?"

"Hey Robin, it's your old pal Beastboy."

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Look, I was thinkin' maybe I could spend my last day on Earth at the Tower? Whaddya say?"

"Sure, Cyborg and Raven are already flying in from Space City. It'll be like old times."

"Cool, be there in twenty."

"See ya." And they hung up. Robin drummed his fingers on the table. Were there any preparations he should make for his friends? He didn't want to think about the world's impending doom. Usually, he would fight any threat, but how do you fight a celestial, continent-sized rock? So instead he thought about the one thing garranteed to occupy his mind. Starfire. The Titans reunion would deffinately not be the same without her, he would miss her up-beat and unshakeably positive attitude. He couldn't believe he had just let her go, without ever telling her how he felt. And it wasn't as if he had never had the chance,

_Flashback_

Starfire stood on the shore, facing the island and the rest of her team. She had her bag on her back, she was all ready to go, but she couldn't quite bring herself to break away. The others stood looking at her, their goodbyes had been said, however reluctantly. Robin stood slightly further forward than the others, his eyes locked with Starfire's.

"Er, I'm gonna go get… the camera! Yeah, you can't go without one last picture." said Cyborg, obviously just looking for an excuse to leave the two heroes alone.

"We'll come too." said Raven, dragging Beastboy behind her. Then they were alone.

"Starfire, I- "

"Robin, I- " Both Titans spoke at once, then stopped and looked down at their feet.

"Go ahead" said Robin.

"Oh no please, you may speak first." hurried Starfire.

"Starfire, I…" Robin began, but his voice failed him._ What's the problem? Tell her! This is your last chance, after this she's gone for good. Just tell her you love her, you have to! _said a voice in Robin's head, but he just couldn't do it. "I- I'm gonna miss you, Star" He winced at his own cowardice. Starfire looked disapointed, but she quickly hid it,

"Oh, I will miss you too" she said.

"What were you going to say?" asked Robin.

"I…" stuttered Starfire, but then she just sighed and looked down at her feet, "Nothing" she finished. "Goodbye, Robin" And she slowly lifted off the ground, She turned and sped off towards the city. Before she disapeared from view, Robin saw her put her hand to her face, as if she was wiping tears away.

"Starfire, I love you" he whispered. He turned to go inside, and saw the others standing in the doorway. No doubt they had heard him, but he didn't care, he was numb inside. He walked past them and locked himself in his room for the next day or two.

_End Flashback_

The doorbell rang and he jerked out of his memories. He looked at his watch, it had been 21 minutes since Beastboy had called, he had just been too caught up to realise. He walked slowly to the door, feeling drained. He pulled open the heavy front door to reveal his green friend. Beastboy had grown to be about his height, his hair was longer and ruffled, he wore an expensive, dark green shirt with black trousers.

"Hey Robin." he said sheepishly.

"Hey, come on in, Cyborg and Raven will be here soon." He held the door open and Beastboy stepped inside, and looked up and around at the inside of the Tower.

"Man, it's just as I remember it." he said sadly.

"Yeah, well, I like to keep it this way." replied Robin. They walked together in silence to the living room. The comet and it's progress was still up on the screen,

"So that's it, huh?" said Beastboy.

"Yeah. Uh, I can get rid of it if you want." said Robin, unsure.

"No, it's okay. It's kinda nice, being able to see the thing that's going to kill you." he said. Robin merely nodded. Then they heard the rumble of a helicopter approaching,

"That's gonna be Cy and Raven" said Robin. They made their way to the roof, and got there just as a small helicopter with the Hotwire Technicals logo on it touched down. They could see their friends through the windshield, Cyborg gave them a wave, and Raven nodded once. They dissapeared from sight, and a second later the door slid back and they stepped out. To look at him, you wouldn't really know Cyborg was half machine. Having designed sleeker, more realistic parts himself, with a top-of-the-range synthetic skin to match, he looked completely human. He was wearing an expensive looking suit, but Robin could tell from the familiar grin he gave them, that nothing had changed. Raven was in a dark purple business suit, with a stylish shirt on underneath. Her hair was longer and layered, framing her pale face perfectly. But the thing that really caught his eye was the prominent swell of advanced pregnancy. Robin was by no means an expert, but he judged she was in her last trimester. Both he and Beastboy were staring at her.

"Hello Robin" she said, her voice still the same emotionless monotone that they remembered. Cyborg's greeting was more enthusiastic.

"How you doin', man?" he asked, clapping Robin on the back sending him staggering forward.

"Fine, Cyborg, I think" he said, examining his shoulder. Beastboy was standing behind Raven.

"Hey" he said quietly, making her jump. A small crack appeared in the roof tile she was standing on. She spun around,

"Beastboy" she sighed, "please don't do that"

"Sorry" They were staring into each others eyes, her hand came up to rest on her stomach, seemingly instinctively.

"Why don't we all go inside?" said Robin, breaking their trance. They both looked at him, then Raven said,

"Sure, that sounds nice." They walked awkwardly, unsure of what to say to each other. They reached the living room and the doors slid open. Inside, they could see the back of a red-haired head sitting on the couch.

"Starfire?" said Cyborg. She turned, and indeed it was Starfire. She had grown into a fully-fledged woman in their time apart, but she was unmistakeable. Robin was in shock, so much so that it didn't even occur to him to try and hide it when he ran his eyes all over her when she stood up. She was wearing a white t-shirt with kaki shorts.

"Hello friends." she said shyly, "I hope I am not intruding."

"Not at all" said Beastboy.

"I thought you were on Tamaran?" asked Robin. Starfire frowned,

"No, I was exploring this world, did I not say?"

"Yeah, but I thought… I mean, it has been a while."

"No, I did not wish to return. Besides, the only space-craft capable of taking me there is the one that is here."

"Well, isn't this great? All of our kick-ass crew back together again!"

"Yeah, but it took an apocalypse to do it." said Raven.

"Don't get negative, Raven. Let's just enjoy the time we have." said Beastboy.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

So the reunited comrades-in-arms sat down together and talked for hours. Robin told stories of the criminals he'd faced, both fiersome and just plain stupid. Beastboy apparently talks to the animals he gets brought, and he has a reputation for never diagnosing an animal wrong, and made a living with celebrities' pets. Cyborg tried his best to explain his latest inventions to them, but it was all too complicated. Starfire told them stories of all the remote places she'd visited, and Raven told them all about how she came to be the top prosecuter in the country, taking care of Cyborg as a favour on the side. When they asked her about her pregnancy, she gave a very vague answer.

"I got engaged, but it didn't work out so we broke up. No big deal." They didn't pursue the matter, it was obvious she didn't want to talk about it. Then they all told their favourite stories from when they were still the Teen Titans, until it felt as if they had never broke up.


	2. Cyborg

Chapter 2

Cyborg

The Titans spent a good ten hours reliving their golden years. It was the happiest any of them had been in a long time. But as daylight began to fade, a sadness fell over them. The happier they got, the more it reminded them that they would be dead soon. However, Cyborg was looking more worried than the rest,

"You okay, Cyborg?" asked Robin.

"Yeah man, fine, it's just I keep thinkin' 'bout my parents." he said. Robin knew what he was talking about. He blamed them for the accident that had gotten him his mechanical body. He knew it wasn't their fault, but he had lashed out and he hadn't spoken to them in years.

"I just keep thinking that maybe I should go see them." said Cyborg. "But I don't wanna leave you guys."

"You should go." said Raven, surprising everybody.

"Yeah, we'll understand. I mean, it's your parents, man." added Beastboy.

"Really?" said Cyborg, obviously still unsure.

"Yeah, I know they'd want you to go." said Robin. Cyborg nodded,

"Okay, thanks, man." He stood up and the others followed him to his helicopter. "Raven, you stayin' here?" Raven nodded, and Cyborg smiled at her, then he reached out and pulled her into a big hug. He whispered "Take care of him, okay?" in her ear, and a dent appeared in the body of the chopper. She stepped back into the group, and Cyborg turned to Beastboy,

"I'm gonna miss you, man" he said.

"Me too, big guy" was the reply. Cyborg turned to Starfire and she flew up to wrap her arms around his neck. He hugged her back and she drifted sadly back to the floor. He and Robin exchanged a look,

"You were the best friend a guy could ask for." said Robin, extending his hand. Cyborg took it, then pulled his old leader in for a brief hug, then let him go and said,

"Goodbye guys. Be happy, okay?" then he just turned and stepped into the chopper. The roters slowly began to pick up speed, and the Titans watched him fly away into the sunset.

The whole journey, Cyborg was full of anticipation. Would his parents really be pleased to see him? Would they have changed much? Has he? All these things circled through his head as he landed on the roof of a beachfront appartement block. He had bought them an appartement when his company had taken off. He had been trying to quell the guilt he still felt for being so unreasonable with them. He used to make his mother cry, he knew she loved him, but he couldn't get used to his new body.

His body found it's own way to their place, and he stood looking at the generic front door. He was just about to turn around and go back when the door was wrenched open to reveal a tall man in his sixties, looking fierce and holding a baseball bat. The minute the man saw him however, his expression turned to shock and relief. The baseball bat slipped from his fingers and hit the floor with a dull clunk.

"Victor…" Whispered the old man, and he hugged his son to him. He was only a few inches shorter than Cyborg was. Cyborg hugged his father, full of love for the old man. His father pulled back and stuck his head into the appartement, keeping one hand on Cyborg's arm, as if he was afraid he would disappear.

"Lily! Come take a look at this!" he called. A moment later a short woman drying her hands on her apron, appeared. Just like the old man, she dropped her apron and stepped, shocked, towards her son.

"Victor, is it really you? Are these old eyes playing tricks on me?" she said. She lay her hands on his cheeks, and he held her wrists.

"Hey, Ma" he said quietly. The old woman's eyes began to tear,

"Victor…" she cried, and she threw her arms around him. The old man gave them a few seconds before gently prising her away.

"Pull yourself together, woman" he said softly and affectionately. The woman regained her composure and smoothed down her apron.

"We're gonna need some coffee." she said, and she walked back indoors. The man stepped back over the threshold, holding the door open and looking at his son expectantly.

"You coming in?" he said, and Cyborg ducked his head and stepped inside. The kitchen was off to his right, separated from the living room by a row of counters. The living room had a matching navy couch and recliner, both facing the TV. The far wall was one big window, framing the sunset-filled sky. He wandered a little further in, and he saw that their mantlepiece was weighed down solely with pictures of him. He smiled as he remembered all of them, and he followed the timeline up to where he was about 13. After that there were no more pictures, because that had been when he had had the accident, and after that, he wouldn't allow his picture to be taken, then he left home for the Tower. He heard a tray being put down behind him, and he turned away from the photos and his memories.

"Thanks" he mumbled as his mother took a mug for herself and sat down on the couch. He sat down on the other end and his father took the recliner.

"Nice appartement." he said.

"Well, you paid for it." said his father.

"We would have preferred a phone call, though" said his mother.

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"It's alright son" said the old man. "So, tell us, how come you're…" he gestured at his face.

"Not made of metal?" Cyborg said, "It's only a synthetic fibre, I'm still titanium on the inside. I designed the new parts myself."

"You always were so smart." said the old woman proudly but sadly. There was a small pause,

"So, what's with the baseball bat?" he asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. Some punk kids have been going around robbin' people, since they know they ain't going to jail." said Cyborg's father. Cyborg was shocked,

"What? That's terrible! Using the end of the world to terrorize people. Do they live in the building?"

"Yes, but don't work yourself up about it, son. Different people have different ways of dealing with things they can't control."

"I know, Dad, I just think I can help them see the error of their ways" he said innocently getting to his feet. "Can you show me where they live?"

"I don't think so, son. You always were a fighter. There's no reason to scare these kids on the last day of their lives."

"But they shouldn't be allowed to just get away with it."

"I know, but just let it go, this one time. You can't help everybody." said the old woman. Cyborg sat back down reluctantly. He looked out the window, it was properly night now.

"So, what are the Titans like? In real life?" asked his father. Cyborg smiled, and told them all about life with the heroes. They talked all through the night, dancing round the delicate subject of their relationship over the past decade, or rather, the lack of it.

They were just talking about the time Cyborg had taken on a kid four years older than him because he had taken a little girl's doll, when Lily, Cyborg's mother's face fell. The two men had their backs to the window, but she was facing it. She put her coffee mug down and slowly walked towards it. The men stopped talking and turned around. Through the window, they could see the early morning sky was filled with a giant fireball. The comet. The went to stand and stare at it, one on each side of the small woman. They both took her hand, and stayed silent as a faint roar filled the air. Their grips tightened. The noise got louder, and the small woman got tears in her eyes.

"Mom? Dad?" said Cyborg.

"Yes son?" answered the father.

"I'm sorry, about everything. I'm sorry I blamed you for the accident, I'm sorry I never called, I'm sorry I was a terrible son."

"No, Victor, don't ever say that. You were the best son a mother could have." said Lily. The cutlery in the kitchen began to rattle in the draw, and a vase fell to the floor and shattered.

"I love you" Cyborg whispered.

"We love you too son, so much." Then his dad pulled everyone into a giant hug, as the roar of the approaching comet became deafening, and the windows broke. Lily slowly and shakily began to sing "Abide with me", a hymn. The two men joined in and they sang together as the comet hit, exploding the Earth in one terrible second.

**Author's note:** This is not the end! I will tell you what happens with BB and Raven, and of course, Robin and Starfire.


	3. Raven and Beastboy

Chapter 3

Raven and Beastboy

Soon after Cyborg left, Raven and Beastboy decided to go out. It was universally acknowledged that there was something between them, just as there was between Robin and Starfire. Raven wanted to be outside when she died, she always had, it gave her a sense of freedom, and if Beastboy went with her, they could be alone. And so could Robin and Starfire. They decided the place was to be the cliff overlooking the city. They flew together over the lake and reached the cliff by nightfall. They sat side by side on a ledge, their legs dangling over the edge. The moon shone beautifully, surrounded by stars, hanging over the lights of the city. In the quiet calm of the night, you could hear noises like boats passing. It made them feel like the only two people in the world.

"How've you been, Rae?" he asked.

"Fine"

"Doesn't seem that way to me"

"Well, you know, pregnancy and all that"

"Yeah, what really happened with that?" Beastboy asked. Raven sighed deeply,

"Why do you care?" she said. He shrugged,

"I don't know, I just do." There was a pause, and Beastboy thought she wasn't going to answer at all, but then she began to speak.

"I met him in law school. We fell in love, or at least I thought we did. We got jobs, everything seemed to be going great, he proposed, I accepted. Then I got pregnant. He was overjoyed, at first. He took me to meet his parents. His mother was this religious nut, and the minute she laid eyes on me she freaked. Started screaming about the devil, she even tried to exorcise me. Anyway, he wanted to know what was going on, obviously, so I told him about my father. I mean, how was I to know that the holy can sense my demon side? He didn't like it, it seemed he took after his mother. He disowned me, and our child. He said if he ever saw us again, he'd hand us over to the black-bible groups."

"That's awful." said Beastboy, he wanted to just put his arm around her and shield her from the world. Raven just "mmm"-ed.

"You know what I regret the most?" she asked.

"What?"

"I'm never even going to get to see her, my baby." She looked down at her stomach and put her hand on it. Beastboy hadn't even thought of it like that.

"You know what I regret the most?" he said quietly.

"What?"

"Back when we were still the Teen Titans, I never told you I loved you." He wasn't looking at her, but out at the horizon. Raven didn't say anything for a while, then she gently slid her hand along so that it was touching his. He turned to look at her,

"Beastboy, I-" She didn't get to finish her sentence, because a man came up behind her, and wrenched her to her feet. He was dressed all in black, holding a switchblade in his free hand.

"Hand over your wallet Mrs and maybe you won't get hurt" he growled. Beastboy was about to step in when he saw the familiar black energy fill Raven's eyes.

"What the -" the man said.

"Oh man, did you ever pick the wrong woman to mess with…" said Beastboy, grinning and crossing his arms over his chest. The man stared in disbelief as his fingers were prised from Raven's arm by the black energy. Then he was tossed up into the air and flung backwards into the cliff wall. He fell to the ground unconcious.

"Idiot" muttered Beastboy who went to stand next to Raven. "Are you alright?" he asked. Raven looked at him, her eyes were wide.

"Um, BB? I think I'm gonna get to meet my baby after all." Beastboy took a second before what she meant sunk in. And when it did, it was like the Titanic. He half-collapsed before catching himself and grabbing Raven by the forearms.

"You're going into labour? Now? Here? Are you sure?" he stuttered.

"Pretty sure" she said sarcastically.

"Well, we gotta get you to a hospital, come on." He made to lead her

to the edge, so they could fly to the hospital, but she doubled over as the first contraction hit her.

"Did I ever mention that demon births are notoriously fast?" she joked.

"No….."

"Well they are." she said as another contraction hit her. "I don't think I'm going to be flying anywhere anytime soon."

"Aw Jesus…" Beastboy was fast approaching frantic. He didn't know how to handle women in labour, a dog maybe, but not a human. Just to make the scene complete, rain started to fall. To make things easier to handle, his mind arranged things in steps, to be taken on one at a time.. Step one was to get her out of the rain and off the ledge. He stepped towards her and put one hand on her arm and another on her back. They only got about half-way to the path before Raven collapsed, holding her stomach and groaning through gritted teeth. Beastboy bent down to help her stand and he saw that she was starting to shiver. A rock dislodged from the cliff behind them and broke as it hit the ground.

"Alright..." he bent down and scooped Raven up in his arms. She was heavy, but he could hold her. He hoped the heat from his body would keep her warm as he walked as fast as he could up the path to the outskirts of the city. Her contractions were getting closer together, and her whole body spasmed with them, to the extent that Beastboy couldn't hold her any longer. The rain was falling thick and hard, they would have to stop _now_. Beastboy saw a derelict house nearby and decided it was better than nothing, he kicked his way in.. He gently put her down in the middle of a room that could have been the living room. He looked around as she squirmed on the floor, trying to get comfortable. There was no furniture, except for a single arm-chair and an old wall-clock. Everywhere was covered with a thick layer of dust, and the only light was the thin rays of moonlight that fought their way through the boarded up windows. He stood up and got the detachable cushions from the arm-chair to lay Raven on. Once she was as comfortable as he could make her, he took her hand and knelt by her side.

"Beastboy, thank you" she said, then bent over as another contraction wracked her body. The floor-boards against the far wall turned to splinters.

"It's the least I could do." he said smiling.

"Don't be so sure, Beastboy, I think you're going to have to deliver this baby."

"What! But I can't… I don't…"

"You have to! You're the only one here, you have medical training, don't you?"

"I'm a vet! I can't do humans."

"How different can it be? Please, Beastboy, I need you." He looked down at her beautiful, imploring, violet eyes, and he crumbled. He nodded and looked down her body. His attention was drawn back to her face as she doubled over again, this time a chunk of plaster from the wall came flying across the room.

"Beastboy, there's something else I need to tell you…"

"What is it, Raven?" he asked, worried and fearing even more bad news.

"My powers have been getting stronger, and my control is slipping. I don't know if I will be able to keep a hold on it, in fact I probably won't. If things get too bad, I want you to cut out, I don't want you getting hurt."

"Raven, I won't just leave you here…" He said, shaking his head. Raven opened her mouth to say something else, but she could only scream as another contraction hit. Beastboy moved to sit at her feet, he took a deep breath to steel his nerves._ I've done this before, cats, dogs, how different can it be?_ His hands shook as he gently rolled her skirt up. Raven sat up with the force of another contraction and screamed, the beams in the ceiling groaned.

"Holy Jesus, I think I see a head." He said, then he realised just how unreassuring that must have sounded. He cleared his throat and tried to sound like he knew what he was doing, for her benefit.

"Okay, Raven, push." She took a deep breath and groaned as she pushed, then she fell back on the cushions panting. "One more, and I think we'll have it, come on Raven, one more," He kept talking as she gave one long, hard push, expelling the child from her body. The walls fell apart, and the ceiling began to creak dangerously. Beastboy took off his t-shirt from under his jumper to wrap the baby in, hoping it was dry enough, then he handed it to Raven. She held the baby in her arms as it cried. Her emotion was taking it's toll on the building around them and plaster flaked from the ceiling and hit the floor.

"Beastboy, get out of here, the whole building's about to come down."

"I'm not leaving, Raven"

"You have to, or we'll both die." she said.

"Then you're coming too."

"No, I can't stand, let alone walk."

"I'll carry you."

"Beastboy, give it up. You can't save me. Even if you could, why bother? Everyone will die in a couple of hours, I'd rather go now, from my own decision."

"Then I stay too."

"Beastboy…"

"Raven, I love you, I always have, and I would rather die here, by your side, than in a couple of hours alone. You're everything to me, leaving is not an option."

"Beastboy… thank you, for everything. You were the one that held me together when I was falling apart. I love you" she whispered softly. The ceiling gave a huge groan and a beam fell to the ground, startling them. Beastboy put his arm around her,

"What are you gonna call her?" he asked Raven, referring to the baby.

"I'm not going to, what's the point?" she said sadly.

"Don't think like that, she deserves a name." he said. Tears welled up in Raven's eyes and they heard the floor above collapse. "What are you gonna call her?" he said again, loudly, to keep her attention on him. Raven sniffed and touched her daughter's face gently,

"Joy" she said, and the old house finally gave way.


	4. Robin and Starfire

Chapter 4

Robin and Starfire

Could he do it? Could he send her away, after all they've been through? After being reunited so that they could spend their last hours together? After she came to him, just wanting to be with him? He had to, she couldn't stay.

Robin turned to Starfire. They had been sitting in the main room, an awkward silence surrounding them. Once Raven and Beastboy had left, and they were alone, it was as if they were waiting for something, but they didn't know what.

"Starfire?" he said.

"Yes Robin?" she replied, in her easy, unassuming manner.

"I just thought of something…" He thought it best to pretend he hadn't been debating with himself whether or not he should let her go.

"Oh? What?"

"Er, well, you know how you said the only ship capable of taking you back to Tamaran was the one here?"

"Yes…"

"Well, it probably still works. You could go back to Tamaran, then you wouldn't have to be here when the comet hits." He tried to sound happy, and just hoped she fell for it. He would hate for her to stay, just to save his feelings. Her face lit up, and a pang shot through his heart.

"Oh yes Robin! And you could accompany me! Oh would it not be wonderful to live on Tamaran, in the palace?" she cried. Robin gave a weak smile. He wanted nothing more than to be by her side forever, but could he live on another planet, knowing that his home had been destroyed? When he really considered it, a sick feeling overcame him. He had sworn to himself to be a protector of Earth, and it only seemed right that he should die along with it. A captain goin down with his ship. Knowing that Starfire was safe would be enough for him.

"Starfire, as much as I want to, I can't." he said. Her smile faltered visibly.

"What? Why not?" she asked.

"Earth is my home, I can't just leave it to be destroyed."

"But Robin, there is nothing you can do!" she implored.

"I know that, but it would feel too much like I was abandoning everything I love. And I made a promise to never betray them again." Starfire stared searchingly into his eyes, but his mind was made up. She looked away,

"Would there be nothing for you on Tamaran?" she said, just above a whisper.

"There would be one thing, but only one, and I just can't go with you." They paused, eyes seaching each others face for… They didn't know what. Just a chance of happiness. Starfire sighed,

"Alright Robin, I see there is nothing I can do to change your mind." She stood up, "Shall we go to the space-craft now?" Robin stood up as well and followed her to the hanger. He didn't like accepting his own death, and the survival instinct in him kept shrieking, _Go with her! Live! Screw everyone else!_ To keep his mind off all this, he tried to imagine what Starfire's life would be. He knew she would only marry for love, and what man would not love her? She would be well kept, being a princess and all, maybe she'd even be queen! Robin could almost see her, surrounded by little, red-headed, laughing children. In comes a handsome, red-headed man, who sweeps her up into his arms. She smiles as her beautiful, regal dress fans out around them. It hurt him to think that he wouldn't be the man to hold her, but he was happy for this future Starfire.

They arrived at the hangar and stood in front of the T-ship. Another awkward silence engulfed them. Robin was reminded of when they had had to say goodbye on the shore years ago. _Should I tell her now?_ he thought. _No, it might make her stay._ He could live with his love left unanswered, at least for the next couple of hours. He smiled as convincingly as he could,

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." he said.

"Yes," she replied sadly.

"I'm sure you'll be happy on Tamaran."

"Yes" she said again, sounding distracted and unsure. She looked up at the small spaceship behind her. Suddenly she turned to Robin and flung her arms around his neck. He was shocked, but he quickly recovered his senses, and hugged her slim form to him. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her hair, it felt so natural to hold her. He felt her relax against him.

"Goodbye Robin," she said, her voice shaking, "I will never forget you." He opened his eyes, and loosened his hold on her.

"Goodbye Starfire" he said. She tore away from him and hauled herself up into the cockpit without ever meeting his eyes. The orange craft whirred into life and the roof to the hanger rolled back, exposing the dusky sky. Just before the ship shot up and away into the vast expanse of all that space had to offer, Stafire looked down at him. She didn't smile, but as the ship began to lift off the ground, she pressed her hand against the glass, then she was gone. Robin stood alone for a minute, staring up at where Starfire had last been, before the roof rolled back again, and he was left in the dark.

He trudged slowly back up to the main part of the Tower, turning off all the lights as he went. He was just going to go to bed, and hoped that he would still be asleep when the comet hit. He had reached the main room, the center of the Teen Titans, and he hardly even crossed the threshold. He just let the doors open and he took one step inside, to flick off the lights. The lights from the city were visible through the window, and he felt drawn to them. He went to stand, looking out at the city. The rain ran in thick rivulets down the glass, and it made a steady pattering noise. He suddenly felt very alone. He could see the life and buzz of Jump City, a boat drifted slowly along in the water below, but he wasn't part of it. He was doomed to watch from the sidelines as other people lived their lives, but he just hid in the shadows, doing what was _right_. He wondered for a moment what Beastboy and Raven were doing, whether they were happy, whether they had finally figured out that they loved each other. He smiled for a second, before sighing and turning away to resume his expedition.

After he had gone through the whole Tower, and turned off every light, he walked slowly to his bedroom. He didn't make a noise, he couldn't hear his own footsteps or his own breathing. He pushed the door open and stopped dead.

Starfire was sitting on the end of his bed. She was just looking at him, face completely emotionless. He could hear the beat of the rain on his window.

"Earth" she said, "is my home too."

Robin shut the door. He was tired of waiting, he didn't feel like doing the right thing anymore, he didn't want to be nervous or afraid, he didn't want to convince her to go back on the ship and go to Tamaran. All he knew was that he wanted her, needed her, craved her, loved her, and for the first time in his life he felt that he _deserved_ her. Now was not the time for personal sacrifice, the idea never entered his head to turn her away. Instead he did what he had longed to do for the past ten years, what he wanted so badly to do that it was ingrained on his subconsious. Without saying a word, he marched right up to her and kissed her, taking the back of her head in his hand to deepen the kiss.

Robin's eyes fluttered open. His arm was still around Starfire's waist, just where he had left it. He edged closer to her and burried his face in her soft hair. The sun was just starting to rise outside, and he didn't need to look at the clock to know it was coming up to six o'clock._ If I have to die,_ he thought,_ I'm glad I could die like this. _

He only wished that Starfire would stay asleep, and not have to face what was coming.

Last night… Being able to share his last moments with her, sharing heart and body with her, had been ecstasy. He could still hear her whispers, and her cries, in his mind, still feel the rhythm of their bodies moving together. He shivered, and grinned. Then he heard his sleeping beauty inhale deeply as she woke up.

She traced her fingers down his arm, and wriggled in his hold.

"Good morning," she said, looking over her shoulder at him, "sleep well?" He smiled at her,

"Very" he replied. She turned away again and closed her eyes.

"We don't have to get up yet, do we?" she said. _Oh no…_ thought Robin,_ she's forgotten._ He felt terrible, she'd forgotten she was going to die today. He decided he wouldn't remind her.

"Of course not." he said. Her eyes snapped open, and a moment later she said,

"Of course not, it's almost six o'clock." She was staring out of the window, and Robin folowed her gaze. Above the rising sun was a blazing ball of fire.

"I'm sorry." he said.

"Oh Robin, there's nothing you can do." she said back, rolling over in his arms to face him and placing her hand on his cheek. "You can't save everybody."

"The only one I want to save is you, and I can't even do that."

"Don't think like that. I wanted to stay."

"Do you regret it?" he asked as the fireball in the window got bigger.

"Not for a moment." She smiled at him.

"Starfire" he choked, "I love you, know that. You were like a goddess to me when we were younger and not much has changed, you are an angel. I hate the world for killing you. You could be so much more, if you had gone to Tamaran you could have been a queen, you would have done great things. Why did you stay? I'm not worth it." Starfire tried to think of the best way to express what was in her heart.

"I _have_ done great things, Robin, I was a Teen Titan. We were great, you can't deny it. We helped so many. If I went back to Tamaran, I would be forced to marry a man I didn't love. If I took the throne, I would be surrounded by back-stabbing senators, and corrupt councilors. And I couldn't do that with you and your purity in my heart. I love you, so don't say you're not worth dieing for. I would die over and over for eternity if I could only make you happy, and keep you safe. You make me feel like the queen you think I want to be, and I would rather die after a night like last night, than a hundred years from now surrounded by gold, but alone."

Robin was speechless. They could hear the comet now, it was so close. Starfire sat up and looked out of the window. Robin joined her. The roar of the comet got louder.

"Robin," said Starfire, turning towards him. "Kiss me. Don't let me think about what's about to happen." Robin kissed her. He was being gentle, but as things in the room began to rattle and the noise became almost deaffening, Starfire kissed him harder. They kissed fast and frantically, so hard it bordered on pain. Robin's hands ran over her body. Starfire gently dug her nails into his chest and ran her leg up and down between his.

Just as their movements were reaching a fever pitch, right before the comet struck, Robin broke away abruptly. Starfire couldn't hear what he said, but he unmistakably mouthed, "I love you, Starfire."

Then the Earth burst into flames and shards as the collosal comet struck it's center, until there was nothing left. The shift in the balance of gravity in space caused a chain reaction, destroying the solar system. Over the course of the next hundreds of years, the shards and gases clung together to form new planets, and millenia later, life began to form once more.


End file.
